


Family Portrait

by eliizabethyork



Series: within you, the light of a thousand suns [2]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Bickering and OMG it's Cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:55:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27732625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliizabethyork/pseuds/eliizabethyork
Summary: The Jensen family attempts to take another family portrait. Pandemonium follows.
Relationships: Jessica Davis/Justin Foley, Justin Foley & Clay Jensen, Lainie Jensen/Matt Jensen
Series: within you, the light of a thousand suns [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1794196
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	Family Portrait

**Author's Note:**

  * For [momentsintimex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/momentsintimex/gifts).



.

.

_ “ _ Be careful, don’t let the door slam or you’ll make Eli -“

_ Slam! _

_ “Waaaah!” _

“...scream.”

Justin winced. “Sorry!”

His mother shot him a look so venomous that Justin was sure she was wishing him to go mute for a while, and trotted off to see to the baby. In the past eight months since Eli was born, none of them had slept longer than a few hours at a clip in the night. There was nothing wrong that was keeping Eli as a fussy baby, she was more fussy during the day. At night, she was ready to, as Alex would put it,  _ paaarty!  _

Justin adored his sister. That still felt weird to say, after all of this time.  _ Sister.  _ He had a baby sister, and a brother and - huh, he was actually the middle child now. Clay was seven months older than him and Eli was the baby and -  _ wow.  _ That thought stayed with him all the way to the local Walmart where Matt had texted him to grab some milk and eggs before coming home from classes. And when he walked by the baby clothes section with the milk in hand, he couldn’t stop himself from wandering in. 

“That doesn’t look like just eggs and milk,” Matt gestures to the bulky shopping bag he had set on the kitchen table. 

His face heating up, Justin reaches inside and pulled out the tiny tee shirt that had caught his eye. “I couldn’t control myself.” Matt burst out laughing as he read the words on the shirt. “I know Mom wanted Eli all dressed up for the family photo but I thought this was cuter.”

Matt takes the tee shirt from him, holding it up into the light. The words  _ I’m the Boss  _ glittered back at home from the front of the little shirt. “We seem to have read each other’s minds.”

“What do you mean?”

His dad reaches down and that’s when Justin notices the paper bag on the floor. Dipping his hand inside, Matt pulls out two tee shirts in men’s sizes and passes them over to Justin. A laugh bubbles from his chest as Justin lays out the first one, which reads  _ I’m the Big Brother.  _ The second one is like the first except the words are  _ I’m the Little Brother.  _ “I had them specially made for today. The clerk who took the order gave me the oddest look when I told her the sizes I wanted for the shirts. There’s one in here for Eli too but I like yours better.” 

“So you’ll have Eli wear it?” Justin asks. 

Matt smiles. “Of course, kid. Come on, let’s go show your mother.” 

-;

Lainie loved the little shirt and Justin was officially off of her shit list. Certainly a list he did not like or want to be on. 

Jess arrived at two pm with Tyler in tow, both of them lugging all of Tyler’s equipment into the house. “Jeez, Ty, how much do these cameras weigh?” Jess gently set one of the bags on the couch as Tyler struggled to set up his tripod in the cramped space of the living room. “Twenty, thirty pounds?” 

Tyler shrugged, not looking up from his tripod as he adjusted the height. “Something like that. I never really noticed - hey!” He squeaked as Jess lightly pinched his upper arm. “What was that for?” 

“Just to see if you have built up any muscle in those little chicken arms from lugging all your stuff around,” Jess teases. 

“I do not have chicken arms,” Tyler protested before snorting. “You have chicken legs.” 

Jess gasped, laying a hand over her heart. “You  _ wound  _ me!” 

“All right, all right break it up, children,” Justin walked in, Eli tucked under his arm like a football. “The kid’s more mature than the two of you.” At the sight of Jess, Eli began squealing at the top of her little lungs and reaching out her chubby arms. “Okay, okay, she’s right here, calm down.” 

Jess laughed in delight, taking the baby. “Hi princess, let me look at you -” A brow shot up when she read the front of Eli’s shirt. “Let me guess - you picked this out for the photo?” 

A large smile crossed Justin’s face and he quickly shed his jacket to reveal his own shirt. “And that’s not all --” 

“ _ Why  _ do we have to wear these?” Clay stumbled into the room, his own shirt stretched across his chest. “This is the goofiest idea you’ve had, Justin.” 

Justin threw an arm around his shoulders, leaning heavily against his side. “It is the  _ coolest  _ idea I’ve ever had and you know it!”

Clay rolled his eyes. “What are we,  _ five?  _ Come on, let’s get this done.” 

A few minutes later the whole Jensen family is settled on the sofa, Eli a squirming lump between her parents. “Eli,  _ please --”  _ Lainie sighs, her hands wrapping around the baby’s middle. The shutter on Tyler’s camera clicked several times in quick succession, capturing every wonderful moment. 

The party moves to different parts of the house, Clay and Justin’s bickering overlapping the noise of Tyler’s camera. When one of the lights almost goes flying, Tyler banishes them from helping and Jess and Matt take over instead. Eli squirms so much in Justin’s arms, she nearly falls into the kitchen sink and is abruptly taken away by her mother. “ _ M-Mom -!”  _

“No! Your sister is a  _ baby,  _ not a sack of flour!” 

Tyler sighs. He’s going to need an aspirin by the time this is done. 

-;

“Clay, move!” 

“You move, I was here first.” 

“Seriously, boys?” Lainie sighed, reaching over to push the two brothers apart. “Enough. You go over there. You go over there.” 

Clay sputtered in indignation. “Are you seriously separating us? We’re not five!” 

“The eight month old is acting more mature than the two of you are -” In response to that, Eli blew a spitbubble and then laughed hysterically at it. “So  _ yes,  _ I am separating you. Take it as make up for all the times I never got to do just that when you two were actually five.” 

A loud clanging interrupted them. Tyler got to his feet and gestured tiredly at his helpers. “All right, let’s go outside into the yard by the trees. And then I’m calling it a day before I lose my mind.” 

Jess snorted. “I don’t blame you.” 

The Jensens do as they are told, the rest of Tyler’s equipment being carried out to the lawn. Once it’s settled and everyone is lined up in their usual spots, Jess finds a hand closing around her wrist and yanking her into the group. She falls against Justin’s side, having been tugged into the fray by Clay. “What the --?” 

“You’re going to be part of the family soon enough, might as well get a jump on the embarrassing photos.” 

Tyler scowls over the top of his camera. “Embarrassing?” 

“No, they’re wonderful, Tyler,” Lainie smacks the back of Clay’s head. “What did you mean by embarrassing? Was that a crack against your mother or --?” 

“No! That was a crack against this whole situation, wearing these stupid shirts and -” 

“If you don’t like the shirt, just take it off, Clay!” 

“I don’t want too -” 

“ _ Boys -”  _

“Oh good god.” 

Eli joins in with a loud,  _ “Eeeeeeeee!”  _

Tyler sighs. “I don’t get paid enough for this,” he adjusts his camera, switching the setting over just one and glances through it. “Everyone shut up and smile!” And that’s enough. The Jensen family freezes in place, not smiling at him but at each other. Each smile is brimming with annoyance, but also the deepest love. And it’s truly enough. 

His finger pushes down on the shutter button five times, capturing those five moments in time. When he pulls the camera back, the miniature photo gazes back at him on the screen. Jess is looking upwards towards the sky, Justin’s arm around her shoulders. Matt is wedged between Lainie and Clay, his arm wrapped around his son’s neck in what looks to be a tussle of affection and is actually a moment of threat. Lainie’s smile is downwards, towards the top of her daughter’s head, while Eli had reached out both her chubby arms and managed to grab onto the sleeves of her elder brothers’ shirts, which are on full display, spelling out the roles they play in this dysfunctional and oh, so loving family. Big brother, little brother, and a baby sister that is going to rule their lives from here on out. 

And the Jensen brothers look at their sister. 

And it’s enough. 

Perfect. 

**Author's Note:**

> Here's hoping part three won't take nearly five months lmaooo. 
> 
> If there is anyone still out there, drop me a kudos and a comment. 
> 
> I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving has a wonderful holiday. Much love, fellas.


End file.
